The Vanguard Promises Family-Friendly Living in Thornhill

Just north of Toronto's Steeles Avenue, Devron Developments' The Vanguard is set to replace Thornhill's Grandview Plaza with a mixed-use 25-storey tower. Designed by Kirkor Architects, the Yonge Street project aims to fill an important gap in the GTA's condo market by providing family-oriented suites and amenities. Featuring units with up to four bedrooms—and 3,500 ft² in size—The Vanguard's amenities are also designed to serve as extensions of living spaces, introducing features of single-family homes to high-rise condominium living.

Since the site's redevelopment will also add a new public park to the neighbourhood, the tower will stand directly alongside a community green space. In contrast to the suburban strip mall typology that currently characterizes the area, the park and tower podium—featuring 12,000 ft² of street-fronting retail and office space above—will enliven the public realm, creating a more inviting ambiance at street level.

A rendering of the project, image courtesy of Devron Development

Alongside the new green space, The Vanguard will feature amenities that cater specifically to children, which is particularly notable since new-build condos are relatively rarely designed as child-friendly spaces. A custom play room will include an interactive sculptural element, with a 3D tree making the space a unique environment for kids. Appointed by II BY IV Design, the amenities are intended to be comfortable, informal spaces that feel almost like parts of the home.

Alongside a library, theatre room, and a number of flexible multi-purpose spaces, the building will also offer residents a 7,000 square foot outdoor terrace. Featuring community vegetable gardens, an outdoor culinary center, dining space, open lawn, and a screen of trees to provide privacy—with landscaping by Strybos Barron King—the outdoor space is a focal point for the project, creating a sort of communal backyard overlooking the park.

A closer look at the podium levels, image courtesy of Devron Development

As one of the GTA's few condo developments to feature four bedroom suites, The Vanguard stands apart from most of Toronto's recent high-rise towers. The building's one to four-bedroom units range in size from 522 ft² to 3,500 ft², with many of the larger suites specifically designed with young families in mind. Aiming to attract long-term residents, the development is designed to provide suites spacious enough to allow families to grow without having to relocate.

Targeting LEED Gold certification, the project is set to include a number of energy-saving features. Creatively harnessing the power of the human body, the gym's exercise bikes will channel electricity directly into the power supply. Water conservation is also a focus of the project, with centralized water filtration system designed to efficiently deliver clean water, while a rainwater car wash will minimize the environmental impact of what is often a wasteful process. Meanwhile, specialized Tesla chargers will be included on the ground floor—the first of their kind in the GTA—alongside six additional EV chargers for other electric vehicles.

With limestone at lower levels, pre-cast and glass will characterize the upper levels, image courtesy of Devron Development

We will be sure to return with updates as additional details about this new development emerge. In the meantime, additional information can be found in our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.